How to Remove Seeds From a Pomegranate + Make Pomegranate Punch

It seems as though pomegranate juice has been all the rage for several years, although it may now be surpassed by the marketing of the benefits of the acai berry. I hope these unique fruits aren’t forgotten any time soon because they’re absolutely delicious and so beneficial to health, as they are full antioxidants and excellent for heart health.

They can be a bit messy, though. Believe me, I’ve been known to squirt this beautiful red juice all over myself and my white kitchen counters and cabinets. Good thing it’s a pretty color…

That’s why I wanted to explain it here, just in case you aren’t exactly sure how to squeeze them for juice or to remove the seeds to simply eat as a snack, in desserts or salads. I kinda had to learn the hard way even though I was raised eating the fruit I just don’t recall ever seeing the behind-the-scenes action of opening one up.

You’ll want to pick a fruit that is nicely rounded and free of any bruising or browning on the outside because you want the inside seeds to look nice and bright like the ones in these photos.

Cut each fruit in half with a very sharp knife. A dull knife will result in all of the squirting of the juice that I was referring to earlier…

Use the back of a wooden spoon to tap not-so-gently onto the back of the pomegranate half. Just keep tapping until you start to hear and see the seeds drop out of the fruit.

At this point, you can also squeeze the half to get the juice out since the seeds and juice can easily be separated by a sieve or strainer.

Press firmly so you get every last bit of juice out.

You might get some of the skins, too, but they are easily visible and can just be pulled out. You don’t want to eat those.

Eventually, you should get a nice plate of pomegranate seeds. These are so beautiful and would be great to add to a salad, atop a cheesecake or even with a chicken or turkey recipe.

I was fortunate enough to grow up eating this fruit despite being raised in Ohio (where it is not native) because it’s part of my Sicilian food heritage and a hugely important food of the Mediterranean. Little did I know until learning more about Islam that it’s actually mentioned in the Qur’an , several times, which is another encouraging reason to eat it.

“It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe.” (Surah Al-An’am, verse 99)

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I use a little bit different method, but I must say I’ve never managed to do anything with the seeds except eat them directly, because they are so delicious that way! I run a sharp knife around the outside rind and through the flower end, but don’t cut it all the way through (to avoid cutting the seeds) and then twist/break apart into the two halves with my hands. Then I break the remaining sections apart with my hands so all the seeds are exposed, and peel off any loose membrane and discard (very bitter!). I hold the sections over a plate and brush the seeds with the side of my thumb to detach the seeds from the sections (or you can also eat many of them directly from the sections, detaching with your teeth, but this runs a slight risk of bits of white pith attached to the seeds if you are not experienced, again very bitter). Eating a pomegranate is a meditative process :P, but well worth it. My goal with this method is to keep the juice in the seeds (and immediately next, in my mouth) to be savored rather than all over my clothes and fingernails, but you still don’t want to do it in a white shirt 😛